Wacignuni Tanka
by timexgone23
Summary: Tonto/OC: Tonto goes through great lengths to right the wrong he made as a child when the White Men came to his village and allowed their greed to power their judgments as well as his own. When he joins forces with John Reid, they do not expect much help in finding the murderer of the people they both hold dear and certainly not from another Native woman.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**Wacignuni **_**Tanka  
**__(Wandering Spirit)_

_A __Lone Ranger__ fan-fiction_

_oOo_

_"__Wacignuni Tanka__" ©timexgone23  
__"__The Lone Ranger__" ©Disney_

* * *

_**Summary**__: Tonto goes through great lengths to right the wrong he made as a child when the White Men came to his village and allowed their greed to power their judgments as well as his own. When he joins forces with John Reid, they do not expect much help in finding the murder of the people they both hold dear and certainly not from another Native woman. Sugila is a woman of the Sioux tribe and a Lakota by birth and guide to Dan Reid and the Texas Rangers, but when Butch Cavendish kills the very men she's come to trust, she promises that she will not rest until she sees him dead._

**Disclaimer**: I do not own_ The Lone Ranger_, as much as I wish I did, it belongs to ©Disney and it's wonderful writers, directors and screenwriters. I am a poor college student; I wouldn't be poor or a college student if I had made _The Lone Ranger_…trust me on that one. I do, however, own Sugila and Little Creek as well as any other unrecognizable characters that will be found throughout the plot.

**Paring**: Tonto/OC

**Other Pairings**: N/A

**Rating**: E-T

**Warnings**: Heavy spoilers, violence, ect.

* * *

**Author's Note:**Hey all! So I went to go see the Lone Ranger recently - I'm pretty sure a lot of people did - and while looking through the fandom I was surprised to see no one had really written anything for it. BTW go check out the one shots - they're really good so far and I'm in love with all of them. One thing I've noticed in a lot of movies Johnny Depp stars in...he never has a romantic pairing (he does, but it's rare: I mean look at when he played Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean!?). Anyway...I digress. So, while watching the movie my brain began twisting things and I decided to write a fic for the newest movie out there - I warn you all now, if you haven't seen the movie and want to there are HEAVY SPOILERS in this story as I tried to paraphrase the script as much as I could (I looked all over the internet and couldn't find a transcription of the movie yet so I had to wing it a little bit so forgive me in advance if it's not word for word with what you've seen in the movie). In other news, this will be a slow updating fiction because I'm swinging it between two other stories so updates may be slower :P I'm sorry for that in advance. But this chapter doesn't have a lot of the characters in it, it's mostly to introduce my character to you and as it mentions above, this is a Tonto/OC pairing so bear with me for a bit :)

Anyway, enough of my ramblings! Let's get on with the fic shall we?

* * *

**WASICU (English)**

_**The Lone Ranger  
**_**Chapter 1: **The Beginning

~O~

_Long ago, our Clan Mother used to tell us stories about how the White Men used to barter and trade with us for our horses and our livestock; stories about how the earth was our mother and the Great Spirit was our loving father. Everything that I have ever known was circled around this belief – the belief that one day I would be able to look down on my people and my children and know that, like our Mother and Father, I could watch over them like the moon breaks through the dark of night. But that all changed when the White Man's government began to encroach upon our lands. They built roadways made of metal that carried loud and powerful machines – a means of transportation we were told, a business that would unite our people with theirs in peace. _

_They failed to tell us that their metal roadways would push us from our sacred lands and we would be demanded to move or be moved by force whether by the sharp tongue of the White Man or by their weapons – both were as lethal as the other. At first we resisted, the Chief stood strong in the face of these Pale-skinned devils, but even then they proved too much and too powerful. They forced my people to leave our lands upon something my people called the __**Cahnku un Istanmihapu**__, the Trail of Tears, though this name did not just belong to us – it was a name that was shared among thousands of people all hailing from other tribes…people like me, tribes like my people. Many of our people perished. Stray but a little from this perilous trail and you were killed by the hands of the White Man. This dark time was so embedded into our history that our grandparents told our parents who told us of the horrors that our people faced all those years ago. We saw peace in the new land granted us, but it did not quell the growing anger between the tribes and the White Men. Long after my people traveled along the Trail of Tears, we faced hardships. Our crops could not be harvested well in the new area and people died…many people. Within all of this darkness, I had feared that there would never be light; for how can the darkness, thick like the black bear's pelt and just as smothering, be tamed by what I considered light? I feared that I would never again experience hope as the weight of struggle set upon my shoulders from the cries of my ancestors and the reality setting in that we may never live in peace._

_But despite this never ending struggle and strife, the stories did not end. _

_No; Clan Mother continued to tell us stories to ease the darkness of the nights along the prairie ( for we called ourselves the __**Tituwan**__, or People of the Prairie), and the familiarity kept the growing darkness at bay and the world seemed just a bit more bright.__ Clan Mother used to tell us wondrous stories about a man, a single man that has crossed and seen the other side and was brought back to our world to protect us from the sins of humanity. The elders call him the __**Wicasa tuwe mani opeya ki Tanka**__, the Man who walks amongst the Spirits, but we've begun to call him __**Wicasa Tanka**__, or Spirit Man. Years passed and on my eleventh year of life, five years after my people had settled after traversing along the Trail of Tears, the White Men came back to our small settlement with dark hearts. They had taken my brother, Little Creek, captive and he had escaped with one of their prized horses – a beautiful Mustang that was of the land and wild like us. They burned our village to the ground and my brother and I fled. _

_We were the only survivors._

"Come, Sugila," Little Creek rasped as he walked besides the beautiful stallion that carried his younger sister. "We must cross this canyon. Hopefully the _Sitehla Wicasa_will allow us to stay with them."

Sugila frowned wearily from above her brother and on their great steed's back, "But, brother, we were never close with the Comanche –"

"Do not disrespect their name."

The twelve year old blinked slowly before relinquishing her argument slightly. "I only say this because they have not welcomed us before," She murmured softly. "What would the _Sitehla Wicasa _do for two children of the prairie?"

"They will hopefully clothe us or give us supplies…hopefully both," Little Creek answered without looking back at his sibling as he continued on through the hot deserts.

Little Creek was tall for the age of twenty and was once a kind and kindred spirit, but he had changed much since the raid of their village. His face was sculpted with high and prominent cheek bones and the smooth nose of their people; his raven colored hair fell neatly down his back in two ponytails secured at the very ends with red cloth, the tresses adorned with feathers that fell from the back of his head. He wore buckskin trousers and matching moccasins, his chest bare and his arms holding only a few trinkets, however, it was his necklace that he took much pride in for it was a symbol of their people. The twine was woven with blue and red dyed leather with beads resting along the strands and ending with the arrowhead that had slain their father during a battle with another tribe, the arrowhead resting just under the hollow of his throat.

Sugila sighed softly from her place atop of their horse, _Wakapa-si_, a beautiful golden mustang with black socks, nose, mane and tail and with intelligent brown eyes. He was a young horse, but the very same that Little Creek had stolen from the White Men. Trust was something that she did not see in their race and she knew her bias was shared with her brother, though she knew that survival was just and she would not care who she could take help from so long as she and her brother were safe. With a small sigh she adjusted her long braid and pulled her shirt closer to her neck in an attempt to hide her already darkened skin from the sun that beat down on the two siblings mercilessly. Little Creek had shed of his tunic and jacket, items that belonged to them as well as a few dead men they had come across, in order to keep his sister's skin from burning under the cruel heat of the bright star.

"_Ciye_," The younger girl called down to her brother, "How much farther?"

Little Creek paused in his trek, bringing the horse to a stop next to him as he surveyed the land that lay just passed the dune they had climbed before frowning deeply. "I do not know…"

For the first time since she was young, Sugila felt anger course through her veins at her brother's half whispered statement. The normally timid girl was not quick to anger or even annoyance, but wandering about in the desert for over a year since their escape from the White Men had brought about all of her anger and resentment. "We are lost!"

Wincing he nodded, "Yes."

"When did you plan on telling me this!?"

"I did not know until just now, Sugila."

The twelve year old harrumphed loudly as she crossed her arms over her chest as her cheeks, though already reddened by the sun, tinted darker with her anger, "Well what good is this going to do us then!? We are lost with little supplies and with barely any water left! There's not a dot of civilization about and there is no one looking for us!"

"Sugila!" The girl, who had been ignoring her brother's pleas for silence, paused when he snapped at her; the anger she felt _whooshing _from her all at once. "Did you hear that?"

The young girl turned her ear to where her brother's was faced outwards down the hill. It was clear that while she had been ranting the older Lakota had caught something in the wind that she had not and she suddenly understood the desperation of her brother's disposition. Suddenly, she heard the sounds of horses; their hooves beating heavily into the sandy earth and creating an earthquake of movement. The air seemed to be stolen from her lungs as she caught sight of what appeared to be a flock of horses, their movements quick; however, her brown eyes widened in fear as she noticed that the horses were coming towards her and her brother and they were being rode by men.

Her voice passed her lips in a small whimper, "Little Creek?"

"Sugila, when I tell you to, you are to spur the horse and get out of here as quickly as you can."

She turned wide eyes to her brother, her lips parting in shock as he turned to face her. His eyes, darker than her own, held a knowing there that disturbed her to her very core. The look in his eyes was one of complete defiance and haunting that it made her stomach churn and her heart beat faster and she suddenly felt like she had to retch. She searched his eyes with her own, her innocent echoed deeply in her haunting tawny eyes, "You're coming with me…right, _Ciye_?"

"Take this with you," He said as he removed the twine from his neck with an angry jerk of his hand. Taking her shaking ones, he laid the arrowhead in her hands before curling his overtop of hers. "It will bring you peace and will protect you. I will always be with you, watching you from beside the Great Father."

Sugila's eyes widened further and she shook her head slowly, "No."

"Go now, Little Fox."

"No, _Ciye_, I can't!" She cried as tears began to leak passed her eyes. "I can't leave without you!"

"Go, now!"

"No!" She wailed as she made to throw herself off of the horse, "You can't leave me again!"

Little Creek, seeing her motion quicker than she could dismount grabbed her leg before pushing it back into place before taking the rope he always carried and tying her to the saddle despite her struggles. He fastened the last knot before glancing at the coming riders and frowning deeply, his eyes turning to meet the tear filled ones of his younger sister and offering her a small, comforting smile. "We will meet again, Little Fox…on the other side and besides the hand of the Great Spirit." Before she could attempt to remove herself from her brother's knot work, the older Lakota looked into the eyes of the stallion and frowned, "_Econsni wayaka hektakiya mitawa kola_. [Do not look back my friend]." He whispered before circling the animal and slapping its gulte and urging it into a fast gallop.

"NO! BROTHER!"

He watched as his sister was taken away from him quickly, safely upon the back of his most trusted steed. With a small smile on his face he raised his hand to say goodbye before turning away from his sister's fleeing form and ignoring her cries and wails for the horse to go back, and focusing his eyes on the coming men.

Sugila watched from between the tears blurring her vision as the men circled her brother. Finally she managed to bring the horse to a stop upon a ridge, her body trembling with her restrained sobs as tears leaked freely from her eyes. She knew it was too late to go back and save her brother, especially as the dust kicked up by the horses obscured her vision. She knew, deep in her heart, that there was little chance she would ever see her brother again and it solidified when she heard gun shots. A sob finally broke passed her lips as she leaned forward in the saddle, her hands clutching at the horse's strong neck. She raised her eyes once more to rest upon what she assumed was her brother's final resting place before turning the horse away and beginning to make her way back through the desert.

Days had passed in a blur to the young Native as she rode weakly atop of the stallion's back, her sorrow at having lost her brother and lack of supplies haven brought her to a state of semi-awareness and barely registering what was happening around her from her state of depression. She rested when she could and gave what she could to the horse to keep it moving and able to support her and she prayed to the Spirits to keep her alive if only to allow her justice. After a week had passed she had become completely numb to everything around her; the biting winds that carried sand in torrents and slicing her skin, the blistering heat that beat down upon her from the sun above, the merciless surroundings of rock and sand with little shade and less areas to collect wood to keep her warm during the cold desert nights and water to keep herself and _Wakapa-si _healthy and hydrated.

It was as the sun peeked at its highest and signifying midday that she heard them: the sounds of heavy hooves beating into the sandy earth and forcing her senses to become more alert.

She turned her eyes to the west, where she recognized the sound to be coming from, before her eyes widened at the sight of men on horses. Without thinking she dug her heels into the stallion's sides and pushing him into a gallop that she hoped would save them. "Come on, _Wakapa-si_," She encouraged as she rubbed his sweat-soaked neck, "we need to do this to survive. If we make it out I'll give you food and won't make you run any more!" She called over the wind, smiling as the horse seemed to respond to her pleading words before pushing itself faster with an indifferent snort. She turned her head briefly behind her to see that they were most certainly White Men, but judging from their weapons and the way they rode she had a feeling that they weren't friendly. She turned her wide eyes forward once more as she pushed the stallion below her into a faster gallop.

The crows and jeers of the men behind her began to get louder and she blinked tears out of her eyes as they fell. She did not know what to do and she did not know where to go as she directed the stallion into a small crevice in the canyon that only she and the horse could fit through. Turning back briefly she saw the men crowding around the small tunnel she had fit through before what she assumed was the leader began pushing himself and his horse through the crevice after her. His face was obscured by his dark hat, but she could clearly make out his long, scraggly and unwashed, unkempt hair as it fell like curled wires to his shoulders as well as the few guns underneath his jacket, but her eyes were immediately drawn to the knife set just at his knee for what she knew to be quick access upon a horse's back and she gasped loudly. Eyes widening further, the young girl pushed her horse forward, murmuring in her language under her breath as fear began to grip at her insides and clenching her heart in her chest. She did not wait to see if the men had made it out of the crevice she and _Wakapa-si _had fit through and took off through the canyon. Her heart stopped as a gun went off with a deafening _boom_, and she felt a scream tear from her lips as pain blossomed across her arm.

In alarm, her horse reared back as another horse appeared in front of him and knocking her backwards and off of his saddle. Oxygen flew out of her lungs as her back connected roughly with the sandy earth below her and another strangled cry passed her lips. Hearing the horses pull to a stop she looked up in fear as a man dismounted his steed and walked to her slowly. In trepidation, she backed away from him awkwardly as she covered her wound with one hand and dragging her body backwards with the use of her other and her feet with the sand only fighting against her movements and making it harder for her to move. Her tawny eyes were wide and unblinking as the man continued to move forward, condescension heavy in his presence and she could just make out the twisted smirk upon his scarred lip that showed his teeth, including a vivid silver filling that replaced his lateral incisor completely and rested besides an oddly pointed canine tooth.

"Lookie what we got here boys," He cooed with a deep drawl as he drew closer to the young Native. Sugila pushed herself into the canyon wall behind her, her wide eyes straying from him only a moment in search of an escape only to find none. With hope dwindling and absolute fear settling into her system she returned her eyes to the man, though his eyes remained shadowed by the brim of his hat, the sun shadowing most of his features. "A little Indi'n girl…she looks a bit lost, don't she boys?"

The men, still mounted upon their horses, chuckled in reply and though they made comments about her situation Sugila was paying little attention to them her eyes widening in horror as he stepped closer to her trembling form.

* * *

Yeah, I like Sugila, do you? She's a little "meh" right now, but I promise you it's all done for a reason ;) Any how, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and as always in ALL of my stories, **Reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update!** Though, I'd really like to know what y'all think so far :)

Thanks for reading~

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


	2. Chapter 2: The Railroad waits for no one

**Wacignuni **_**Tanka  
**__(Wandering Spirit)_

_A __Lone Ranger__ fan-fiction_

_oOo_

_"__Wacignuni Tanka__" ©timexgone23  
__"__The Lone Ranger__" ©Disney_

* * *

_**Summary**__: Tonto goes through great lengths to right the wrong he made as a child when the White Men came to his village and allowed their greed to power their judgments as well as his own. When he joins forces with John Reid, they do not expect much help in finding the murderer of the people they both hold dear and certainly not from another Native woman. Sugila is a woman of the Sioux tribe and a Lakota by birth and guide to Dan Reid and the Texas Rangers, but when Butch Cavendish kills the very men she's come to trust, she promises that she will not rest until she sees him dead._

**Disclaimer**: I do not own_ The Lone Ranger_, as much as I wish I did, it belongs to ©Disney and it's wonderful writers, directors and screenwriters. I am a poor college student; I wouldn't be poor or a college student if I had made _The Lone Ranger_…trust me on that one. I do, however, own Sugila as well as any other unrecognizable characters that will be found throughout the plot.

**Paring**: Tonto/OC

**Other Pairings**: N/A

**Rating**: E-T

**Warnings**: Heavy spoilers, violence, etc.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Okay so you guys totally blew my mind! I was NOT anticipating such great reception for the first chapter AT ALL! You guys rock :3 I may actually have to start PMing you guys back instead of just answering you in every chapter otherwise it's gonna take FOREVER lol, but I'd like to just take a minute (before I answer you all and thank you all below) to thank you guys for the awesome feedback and encouragement. Just so you guys know, I've never, EVER, hit seventeen reviews for one chapter…EVER! I've got fifteen favorites and thirty-six honking, yes HONKING, follows! I'm so thankful to you all who have taken time to read this…I'm besides myself as you can see :D

Oh just a small warning for your future references, I do two different Author's notes, I hope you don't mind…I just enjoy talking to you guys in random tangents lol :) Any who, let's thank everyone who's reviewed and get on with the story shall we!? I've got fifteen pages worth of material for you all as a thank you ;)

**A special thank you for all of the reviewers for chapter 1:** _NathalieIyper, Captain Shamrock, Jenna, Guest 1, Kira Tsumi, E, Guest 2, Guest 3, Fencing Supplies, moonshadow427, Leoliana, linalove, TinkerbellxO, Emo Steve, megumisakura, koolgirl1301, _and _Guest 4!_

_NathalieIyper – _My first reviewer (heart) lol. Anyways, your review made me smile, like, a lot! I'm so happy to have supplied a good story for you and I'm glad you loved the first chapter :D I hope you enjoy this one as well! Thanks for reviewing!

_Captain Shamrock – _Yes! I've noticed that as well and they're all amazing, but I couldn't help but want to write a Tonto/OC heehee, he's just so funny and slightly misunderstood and I was highly impressed by Johnny Depp's performance and portrayal as him :) Anyway, I digress. Thank you so much for your review and I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you enjoy this one as well!

_Jenna – _Yay! I'm so glad you like her! I was a little worried about her reception because I'm a little rusty on writing characters like her. I like to write more powerful female characters and to have her weak and defenseless was a new field for me, but I'm so happy you liked her! And wait no longer, haha! Anway thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

_Guest 1 – _Thanks for your review and for you an update ;) I hope you enjoy this one as much as chapter one heehee :D

_Kira Tsumi – _Yay, I'm so happy you love it! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like chapter 2!

_– _Why thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I may test out more narrative from Sugila in the future, but it depends if I feel it necessary…we'll see heehee :D Anyway so glad you enjoyed it and I hope you like this chapter as well. Thanks for reviewing!

_Guest 2 – _Thanks! I'm so glad you like the beginning and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Thanks for the review :D

_Guest 3 – _Why of course! Wait no more, for I have an update ;) Anyway thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

_Fencing Supplies – _Wow! You totally made my day with this one! I'm so glad to have captured your interest haha! I will certainly do my best to keep up the quality of the first chapter. Thanks so much for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

_moonshadow427 – _Yay, I'm so glad you loved the first chapter! Here's chapter two for ya and I hope you enjoy it as well! Thanks for the review :)

_Leoliana – _Haha I'm glad you enjoyed it! Here's another update for ya and I hope you enjoy it as well. Thanks for the review! :D

_linalove – _Why thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the start – I always find it to be one of the hardest parts! And no worries, I have an update for you :D Thanks for the review~!

_TinerbellxO – _Oh yeah, I kinda am too lol. I was originally going to make this a Tonto/OC one-shot, but decided to build onto it so I'm glad you're already wondering where it's going :) And thank you! I try to put as much research into my writings as possible, so I'm glad it was noticed, haha! Anyway thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy chapter 2!

_Emo Steve – _Love the name, first of all :D and that's awesome! I'm so glad the story already looks good and I can't wait to see how you all take to this chapter too! Thanks so much for dropping me a review and I hope you enjoy chapter 2!

_megumisakura – _Why thank you! Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy chapter 2!

_koolgirl1301 – _Of course! I'm not leaving this story for too long haha xD And yeahhh *rubs head sheepishly* I have a habit of leaving cliffhangers a lot…heehee! Anyway I'm so glad you enjoyed the first chapter and I hope you enjoy this one as well! Thanks for the review :)

_Guest 4 – _Of course! Never fear, an update is here! Haha, I crack myself up, anyways, thanks so much for dropping me a review and I hope you like this chapter as you did chapter 1!

WHEW~ so now that that's done, thanks to everyone else who also **favorited/subscribed/followed**the story so far, you guys are incredibly awesome!

Anyway, enough of my rambling for now…I think it's about time we start the fic huh? Well, what're you waiting for!? ON WITH THE FICTION!

* * *

**((Shuen – gee – lah = Sugila))**

_**The Lone Ranger  
**_**Chapter 2: **The Railroad waits for no one

~O~

Attentive tawny eyes watched as the outlaw, Butch Cavendish, was taken in chains into the sheriff and locked away for the night. The brown eyed woman was perfectly aware of the outlaw's eyes on both her and the leader of the Texas Rangers, Dan Reid, and his crystal blue eyes starring at them with an almost smugly calculating look as he was led out of their sights. She could not discern the look nor did she try to as she stepped out into the night with her fringed jacket tugged around her and her hat lowered to shadow her eyes. Butch Cavendish was a menace and their long days of tracking and searching had finally been brought to an end, but she could not shake the growing trepidation that followed and she suspected that this conflict was far from over.

"Sugila."

She turned her eyes to the owner of the voice and allowed an amused smirk to twitch at her full lips, "After all these years, you still can't say my Native name right."

Dan Reid waved off her amusement before coming to stand next to her, leaning on the post that held the overhang above the porch and staring out into the small town. His blue-green optics turned to his partner briefly to see that her eyes were not settled on the quiet town before her, but were directed towards the sky and were glazed. Her hat was now pushed up on her brow and revealing the russet features that hid beneath it. Briefly taking in her appearance he sighed through his nose before purposely bumping her elbow. When her eyes flickered to him he offered her a light smirk.

"Best call it a night; we got a long ride ahead of us."

Sugila nodded slowly, "That may be true, but I can't shake the feeling that this isn't over."

Dan's brow quirked under the curtain of his curls, having removed his hat since entering the Sheriff's abode only hours ago now, and leveling her with a narrowed gaze. "What're you on about?" He questioned, "Despite our losses, we got Cavendish right where we want 'im."

"Sure we do, Dan, but there was somethin' in his eye that told me otherwise." She frowned as the man next to her snorted lightly.

It was not unusual for the two to have differing opinions, but the ranger often found her to be too cautious of everything around her and she blamed that particularly on his remaining innocence. Dan was a good man and an honest man, but he was too willing to relax when he believed their job to be over. She knew this was because of his desire to see his wife and son again, as he spoke of them frequently and especially to her. Every time he did she felt a pang in her chest and she wondered if his willingness to speak of Rebecca and Danny was the spirits reminding her that he was a married man and that he was the one thing she could not have despite her desires. She swallowed back a snort of disdain at her thoughts before refocusing her mind on the topic at hand. She did not want to admit that she was fearful of Cavendish. She always had been and she knew that it was unlikely to change until she saw his body swaying from the hangman's rope and his life pronounced to have ended by the snapping of his neck.

"You're thinkin' too much, Jo," Dan sighed heavily and derailing her thought train and leaving her slightly confused, especially to the shortened pet name of her given English name, "Now that we got Butch Cavendish behind bars, it's only a matter of time before our fears will be put to rest."

She only shook her head, "No. My fears will continue to haunt me like the coyote that stalks the mighty buffalo. It waits patiently for me to fall into a sense of security before ripping it away from me like it always does."

"Now you're just bein' negative," The ranger drawled thickly, taking a sip from the cup he had been nursing through the length of the conversation that Sugila had not noticed until that very moment. "Look, Cavendish ain't gonna be escapin' on my watch. For now, all we can do is rest up for our ride back to Colby. Cole wants a public hanging to boost his political career."

"He's another that worries me," She sighed through her nose as she removed her hat so she could run her fingers through the shorter strands of her hair, pushing them back but not yet returning her hat to its rightful place. "Just stay cautious Dan…it'd be somethin' if Cavendish played us all."

"I won't let anythin' happen to us, Jo." The ranger promised as he rested his large hand on her shoulder, "I'll be just as pessimistic as you are in the mornin', but for now I'm gonna stay positive that this is the end until proven otherwise." When the Native woman made no move to retire he sighed heavily in defeat, "Look, just try and get some rest before tomorrow."

"Rest easy, Dan."

The ranger nodded before placing a friendly kiss to her cheek, a thing they had always done as kids, before walking away. His stirrups _clinked_ as his boots thudded along the boards before disappearing with the creaking of the door. Sugila's hand rose to her cheek before sighing softly to quell the sudden heat that had appeared. She had never had any idea when her affections for the older Reid brother had changed (she suspected it was when Dan's father had promoted both of them to being rangers), but she could not be sure. With a shake of her head the twenty-five year old sighed deeply. It had been many long years since she had been found for dead in the desert and she was truly indebted to the Reid family for their kindness, their father being the man that had found her. She never did see her brother again and it was then, after many years and coaching from Missus Lila Reid that she moved on with her life.

Regaining herself to present she shook her more depressing thoughts before looking down at the hat in her hands; the black suede worn and weathered and appearing a dark grey in some areas and the beautiful burnt orange leather cord that wound around the center of the hat and finished with beautiful teal and gold beads. This hat had been the very same that Paul Reid had given to her when she had become a ranger and she was surprised Dan held no resentment towards her for it since it belonged to his father. It had brought her deep comfort and kept her grounded in her work as a ranger, despite the other men downsizing her fighting ability to mere tracker and translator, but it had never truly bothered her. She enjoyed her time out along the desert territories and riding alongside such amazing and powerful men. They had all come to respect each other through their travels and she looked to each man as a member of her family and she had always liked to think they had thought the same of her. The thought was nice enough and it filled the ever present emptiness that Sugila felt day after day. She never understood why her heart always felt like it was half empty and she knew she probably never would so long as she lived. It was strange to her and yet she felt almost deserving over her consistent internal strife.

"_Heyuha manipe_," She murmured the old war song softly into the wind as it passed."_Eca Lakota hokšila wašošeyape…heyuha manipe._" [Our friends, they are walking with him. In the middle of the battle they are crying as they carry him back.] Pressing her fingers to her lips she held them up to the sky before turning and making her way back into the small home belonging to the Sheriff, who had been kind enough to allow the rangers to stay the night before setting out in the morning.

That night, sleep would not find her and she lay awake in the large room where the rangers had thrown their packs to support their heads as they slept. The notable racism had bothered her slightly when the Sheriff had laid eyes upon her and verbally dismissed her for her kind, but her heart swelled with the loyalty of her fellow rangers when they declined the simple comforts of a bed and mattress offered to them and instead opted to sleep in one room with only their jackets and packs to keep them comfortable. These men had come to be dear to her and they had restored something she had lost a long time ago.

When the sun creased the hills of the small town that rested just before the Oklahoma state line, the rangers were already packing their horses up for the long ride ahead of them back to Colby, Texas. Dan had considered what the Native woman had told him the previous night and his eyes soon found her as she secured her own pack to the saddle. She had been a dear friend of his for a many years and when his father had deputized her they had all been surprised. His father had explained by saying that it would be useful to have someone who could translate for them while on the trail and so far his words had rung true. He recalled the first time he had ever seen her and it was more out of scorn than any other emotion since the Natives had raided settlements when he was still a young boy and his racism had been at its finest; however, it had eventually changed to a mutual trust and companionship as the little Sugila had been much different than other girls their age. As they grew he had grown to look after her as a younger sister, despite the Native being a few months his senior, and had grown increasingly defensive of her. Again his thoughts drifted back to her concerns the night before and a deep frown made home on his handsome and rugged features.

It was not often that the woman would voice such deep concerns within earshot of others, but the night before they had both been very aware of the eyes of a few of the rangers as well as the silhouette of a man that had been across the street in the alley. This alone brought concern to the ranger's heart as his blue-green eyes sought out the woman to see her checking her stallion's shoes for stones. If Sugila was worried that Cavendish was going to be a problem he knew he should heed her sudden unease as she did not hint him towards such a feeling of growing dread often. He knew she had been fearful of the outlaw as a child and even more so now that she was on the trail, though she had never hinted as to why or what had happened to make her so anxious around him, let alone his mention. He was brought from his reverie when the subject of his thoughts hit his elbow with her own, her dark tawny eyes expressing a mirth that was lost to him.

"You tie anymore knots on that pack you're gonna have to cut the cords off in order to get at your things."

Dan's eyes flickered from her amused orbs to see that he had, in fact, tied the straps to his pack several times during the muddled train of his thoughts. Rolling his eyes, his calloused fingers moved deftly to undo the knots that he had made before settling the pack to his saddle with a tight jerk of the leather straps. His eyes returned to Sugila to see that the woman was no longer looking at him, but was watching with a grim look as Cavendish was brought from his holding cell and walked towards the train that waited for its cargo to be loaded. The outlaw's eyes rested on the two of them before turning away only when the Sheriff forced him forward, though the smirk on his scarred lips sent a wave of discontent crashing through Dan's veins.

"I'll be happy when I see him hang."

Fred, a ranger with thick black eyebrows and a matching mustache and stubble lined jaw, snorted lightly as he flicked his hat above his eyes. "Trust me, Jo, we all will."

"Yeah," James, a man with shaggy, straw blonde hair and a matching mustache, nodded, "And we're all gonna be there to see it…in fact, all 'o Colby's sure to be there."

"No doubt for Cole's political campaign with the Railroad."

Sugila rolled her eyes, "He'd do anything to keep himself of a higher power even claiming your own God to have given him the duty."

"Now, Jo, that ain't right!" James frowned at the Native woman as she shrugged her shoulders halfheartedly.

"I'm just saying that a man who hides behind religion and uses it to sway the population is worse than a man who claims ownership of material items."

Dan shook his head at the small debate as it was a common occurrence between the Native and James since Sugila still held firm to the beliefs of her people and found their own religion to be strange, but accepted that their beliefs were that and she educated herself so that she would be able to relate to her the other men. "All right you two, enough of that."

James frowned deeply as the Native woman only shrugged once more before moving to her horse. As she finished settling the things on her saddle, her eyes caught a man making their way towards them. "I'm lookin' for a ranger named Dan?" Sugila turned from her horse before calling for the man, her eyes turning to the stranger once more and observing him quickly. He was taller than her five foot and three inches by nearly a foot and donned in a series of browns with a matching ten gallon hat, his brown eyes shimmering from underneath his hat and shadowing his dirt-smudged skin. The man only looked to be a few years older than herself and it did not miss her inspection that he was glaring at her with barely contained disgust, though the Native did not allow it to bother her all that much as she was rather used to the looks she received. "Thank you," He remarked curtly before turning his eyes to the ranger and offering him a friendly smile, "Letter came passed our office for ya and we knew you were in town."

Dan glanced at the man from under his dark leather hat before snatching the letter out of the man's hands and nodding. The ranger stepped off to the side and read the letter quickly, not bothering to thank the man for his delivery before stuffing the paper into his pocket and vaulting onto his horse, "Alright boys, two of you are stayin' behind to make sure we don't run into any problems on the train." He announced before quickly delegating this to the men he already had in mind; "Kemuel and Harold, you two stay behind and make sure Cavendish makes it to Colby without incident." The two men nodded before moving their horses off to the side as the other rangers mounted their horses.

"Do you want us to send ya a telegram for every stop?" Harold, a stocky and slightly overweight man with a peppered mustache and large button nose, inquired as he looked over to Dan from his horse and earning a nod from him. "Alright, Kemuel," He turned his attention to the man next to him, a skinny man with long brown hair that fell to his shoulders and a narrowed face, and nodded back to Dan at the mention of his partner, "and I will make sure we keep an extra eye on him and that *Injun."

Sugila's brows pinched in confusion, "Indian?" Her eyes met the confused pools of Dan's before refocusing back to the stockier man. It was when Kemuel coughed that her eyes slid to him in question.

"That's right," He sniffed. "Apparently the Injun has been causin' trouble round here…don't know what his actual crimes are, but that ain't on us."

"Regardless," Dan cut in before the Native woman could question further, "Make sure you send the telegram straight to Colby, seeing as the train is only makin' one other stop along the way." The two rangers nodded before spurring their horses in the direction of the train station. The older Reid brother nodded to himself before glancing around at the remaining rangers, "We ride hard for the next day and a half, if all goes well we should make it to Colby by tomorrow afternoon."

"We're gonna beat out a train?"

Sugila nodded at the heavier man that had a curved bone hanging from between his teeth, "The train has to stop at the town between this one and Colby to pick up more passengers and to restock, so it'll give us enough time to pull ahead of it and make it to Colby a few hours before it's due to arrive. From there, George, we wait."

The man nodded to her before looking back at Dan as he spoke again, "We only stop if necessary. Sugila, we'll need you to keep your eyes peeled for any sense of foul play that may be on the train as we ride." She nodded to her assigned job and patted her stallion's neck, "The rest of us'll keep our eyes out along the road for any signs of danger, just 'cause we got Cavendish don't mean we wont see any problems from the rest of his gang if they try to pull a fast one." When the rangers nodded he sighed heavily before glancing out of the corner of his eye at the Native woman. "Let's ride."

~O~

The rangers rode fast for the next day and a half as Dan had said, only taking short breaks to keep up with the train and as predicted they pulled ahead of the Iron Horse. Sugila kept her eyes locked with the train and upon seeing a familiar looking man she noticed Dan tense besides her only to be ignored when she questioned the older Reid brother. They pulled into the Colby Train Station hours before the train was scheduled to arrive, and as they tied their horses, the Native woman grabbed the older man by his jacket sleeve to keep him from leaving so quickly.

"What's got you all wired up, Dan?"

The older Reid brother kept his eyes away from hers as he looked out along the tracks and the woman sighed softly, crossing her arms over her chest. She stayed completely silent and simply waited for him to speak, knowing that he would do so when it was more private. This was how they had always been. Dan or Sugila would wait for the cover of privacy in order to speak to one another about their concerns. It kept the other rangers from questioning them and it kept Dan in the right frame of mind on the trail. It was not that they did not trust the other rangers with their more personal issues; it was simply that some things were better off left alone with the other men. The others had concerns of their own including their own families; it was of no concern to them what occurred within the Reid's and ultimately Sugila's family. After a moment the man sighed softly, turning his eyes to meet hers and she knew suddenly that he was deeply concerned about something.

"John's on that train."

Sugila nodded slowly, "I reckon that's what the letter was about." When the man nodded she placed a hand on his shoulder, Dan obviously much taller than her and standing just short of six feet in height, and making the sight almost comical for those who would possibly pass by, "Listen, John's no doubt a lot more mature then when he left nine years ago. I'm sure he's made a name for himself, just like you have." When Dan turned his eyes away from her she frowned. "You're worried about Rebecca aren't you?"

"What gave you that idea?"

At his dry tone the Native crossed her arms and leveled him with a deadpanned look, "Look, you and Rebecca are married now. You've got a handsome and strong boy together…" She drew off suddenly as her lips quirked, "speakin' of which, he sure looks like you when you were younger." When Dan quirked a brow at her she could not hide her amusement. "He's sure to be a rather handsome man when he gets older, just like his _Daddy_." The man merely laughed at her statement, his previous concern and tension melting away with the change of emotion.

"Thanks, Sugila."

The Native smirked at his mispronunciation, "_Shoe-gee-lah_?" She overemphasized his mistake, "I believe you meant to pronounce it: _Shuen-gee-lah, Wasicu_."

"Never could say your name right."

"No, you never could."

Dan's face contorted in confusion, "What does that even mean?" When she only smiled he quirked a brow at her, suddenly wondering where he had heard that word before. After a few moments of thought he suddenly remembered her calling him that when they were children as the Native had not known how to speak English very well and had referred to them all as _wasicu_. "You're so obvious."

"Took you a while didn' it?"

Dan rolled his eyes at the woman's sudden cheekiness as he caught up to the other rangers, the men parting and allowing him to walk up onto the platform with ease, a sudden seriousness and tension descending upon the group as their boots thudded against the dusty wood and their spurs tinkered and spun. The telegrapher sat at his table and writing a note from where he had received a telegram before resending one out once more as the rangers spread across the platform with Dan standing closest to the tracks and followed by Fred and James with Sugila standing closer to where they had tied their horses at the edge of the platform. George leaned against the elder man's desk as the man sighed, "Run a man over the state line, put him on a train and ship him right back." He ignored as the heavier man dipped into his mint jar and pulled out three small and circular candies, "Don't make no sense."

George grunted as he popped the mint candies into his mouth and passed the curved bone he always twirled between his lips, "Guess they run out of hanging rope back in Oklahoma."

"Mr. Cole wants to make an example," Fred stated loudly for all of the rangers to hear, however, it was James who broke the attention from the dark haired man's statement as he looked passed him to Dan.

"Word is Cavendish is looking for payback from you, Dan."

"Reckon so," He answered dismissively as his eyes turned further down the tracks. Sugila frowned at this, still not happy with the older Reid brother's decision to take from the outlaw after placing him into custody. He had rectified it with the promise that the aquired property would be put to good use further down the road and it apparently had, but for what the Native was not sure nor did she feel it fit to question. She only hoped he would fill her in when it was absolutely necessary and that the time would come sooner as opposed to later.

It was then that Bert, the only ranger who enjoyed his chewing tobacco more than his bowler hat, was the next to speak and drew the Native from her thoughts, "They say Butch Cavendish ate a red legged's heart back in the Missouri Wars. Swallowed it whole..." He shot Sugila an apologetic smile when he caught her glower before Gil (short for Gilbert of course) took over with his own statement to the rumors surrounding Butch Cavendish, though he sounded confused.

"I heard it was the eyes."

"Man told me he ate part of his own foot, just to win a bet!"

All of the rangers with the exception of Dan turned to look at Nathan, the oldest of the assembled group. Fred leaned around the post he was leaning on with a disgusted look on his face, "Hell he did!"

"Which is it Dan?"

"I don't see how it makes a difference," He replied offhandedly, glancing out of the corner of his eye to Sugila's silent form to see that she looked incredibly uncomfortable with the current conversation and earning a thankful look from the Native with his comment. James, however, was less than satisfied as he leaned closer to Fred.

"What's the matter with him?"

"It's not Cavendish that he's worried about," Fred answered with a sigh as he looked between their Native tracker and leader to see that both seemed more tense than normal.

It was truly no secret to the rangers that Cavendish made Sugila uncomfortable and that they seemingly knew one another, if the outlaw's reaction to seeing her had been any indication, Fred recalled slowly. He briefly turned his eyes to the Native to see that she had taken off her hat and was allowing the breeze to play with the free strands of her raven black hair, though it was always pulled back in a loose braid that fell down the center of her back and hiding the barrel curls that formed naturally from her scalp. The only evidence to her curls was her bangs that fell down the side of her face and just scraping the bottom of her chin and the small flyaway strands. Her sharp tawny eyes were focused on the tracks, though they appeared clouded with her thoughts at present and it only brought wonder to the man's mind. Sugila was truly a beautiful woman, but she was hardened and tended to appear cold to most and even the rangers at times.

Sugila could not help but imagine what her fellow rangers had been speaking of and she knew that each story, though outlandish and slightly exaggerated, was surprisingly accurate and even a great depiction of his character. The very thought sent an unpleasant and unwelcome shiver down her spine and she drew her thin arms tighter across her chest where she had crossed them earlier and effectively pulling her jacket tighter to her thin frame. With a sigh she shook herself of her rather unpleasant thoughts before staring down the tracks to see the train farther in the distance and after a moment she straightened, though her arms remained crossed as her eyes narrowed as smoke poured from the spout in front of the train and signaling that more coal was being pushed into the furnace that fueled the train. Suddenly the telegrapher stepped forward, removing his spectacles from his nose and frowning from next to Dan.

"It should be slowing down by now!"

With seconds, the train barreled passed the platform, Dan's eyes seemingly connecting with something inside of the train and he was spurring into action, pushing people out of the way of the suddenly crowded platform, "Get to the horses!"

Sugila wasted no time and leapt from the platform and raced to her horse, undoing the reins from the post and spurring the stallion into motion after the train. Her heart pounded in her chest as her trusted steed leveled with the runaway train before pushing passed the windows and nearing the car closest to the front of the train. She heard Dan behind her, but paid little mind to him as he evened out with her horse's gait.

Meanwhile the situation atop of the train was a quite different story. John Reid and the Native American man pulled themselves atop of the train and stared ahead of them to see that the train was coming to a decidedly unsafe end. "It's the end of the line!" He cried before turning to the man he was bound to. The Comanche Native's eyes were wide, but his painted face held little emotion as they sped across the tracks.

"We jump."

John's eyes widened in abhorring as he tugged the chain connecting him to the Native, "What about the passengers?"

"They jump!"

The lawyer's eyes narrowed furiously, "There are children on board!"

The Native only scowled, "_All _jump!" The two men began fighting back and forth, tugging the chain attached at both of their wrists in an effort to pull the other to the other's will.

"Have you _no_ decency!?"

The Comanche growled as he tugged the chain, "_Wendigo_ getting away!"

"No, you're not going _anywhere_!"

Suddenly, the Comanche released the tension of his chain sending John to the ground as he became annoyed with the argument. John was about to turn and yell at the Native once again when a hat flew in between the two of them and causing the words to die in his mouth as he turned his blue eyes to the direction of the hat. A larger man, clearly of Mexican decent turned to look at them, surprise widening his eyes as he was clearly not anticipating anyone to be on top of the train that were not associated with himself and the rest of his gang. It only took John and the Native a few moments before both agreeing that their argument could wait before running after the man and gathering their chain and giving it enough slack to trip the man. As they neared him they lowered enough to catch his feet before lifting and pulling upwards, sending the man crashing back onto the top of the train. The two men continued to run only to stop as they came face to face with individual barrels of twin pistols aimed at each of them.

"Goin' somewhere!?" The outlaw laughed, the bonnet he wore underneath his ten gallon hat, flapping against his skinny, dirt smudged face. John immediately raised his hands in surrender earning a look of annoyance from the Native who rolled his eyes before turning them to the man.

"Yes."

"No!" John immediately said as he looked to the shorter Native. Again the Comanche's answer remained the same.

"Yes."

John laughed nervously as he looked at the outlaw, "No, no."

"Yes," The Native supplied in annoyance as he looked at the taller man as if telling him to be quiet. John turned his eyes back to the skinny outlaw and shook his head.

"_No_, no we're not."

"Yes."

"No!"

The outlaw, quickly becoming confused and frustrated with the two men flicked his guns into their faces as if to remind them of their imminent danger, his eyes narrowed on the two men. "SHUT UP!" Both fell silent before a small smirk twitched at the Comanche's lips as he noticed an overhang quickly approaching with a hook attached to the end of the pulley. Turning his dark eyes back to the outlaw he offered him a trained and stoic look and allowing only a brief flicker of amusement to flash across the darkness of his orbs.

"Yes."

John looked at the Native in annoyance and slight confusion before screaming as he was lifted suddenly from the train. The Comanche smirked smugly at the outlaw before he too was lifted into the air by the connection of the chains. As the pulley swung the two men back around the Native's eyes narrowed on the Spaniard, who had stood up and was beginning to make his way towards his ally, before wrapping his legs around the man's head and lifting them up with the swinging duo. He looked down at him and grimaced at the look of the man's round features pushed together between his legs and grunted as he released the now screaming man and watching as he sailed through the window of the train and out of the other side. In midst of this, John had finally managed to release the hook on his cuffs and allowing himself and the Native to fall back to the train, however, he had miscalculated on the landing and fell from the train his only saving grace being the Comanche as he tugged the line taut, saving his life.

Sugila's eyes widened in horror at the younger Reid brother hanging from a chain for dear life as the train continued to roar down the tracks, "Dan!"

"Christ!"

"I'm gonna pull back just behind you!" The woman called as she quickly took in the situation, her eyes widening as the outlaw cornered John and the Comanche, a rifle aiming at the two of them. Her eyes turned away briefly as she turned her eyes to the tracks themselves and where the train was undoubtedly heading. "Dan, the workers!"

"I'm gonna jump onto the train!"

Sugila's eyes snapped to the older Reid brother as he undid the whip at his side before looking up at the train. "Are you crazy!? Dan, that's suicide!"

"I gotta get John outta this mess!"

The woman frowned after a moment and nodded her consent, "Fine. I'll move after you and see if I can't stop this train."

Dan nodded his head before looking back up at the train to see the outlaw crack his brother in the face with the butt end of his gun. Anger swelled in the ranger's veins as he expertly flicked his wrist and sending his whip up to the outlaw and smirking suddenly as it wrapped around his ankle. With a sharp tug he successfully pulled the outlaw off of the train and away from his brother, glancing backwards briefly to see his body rolling under the hooves of the ranger's horses, none stopping to arrest the man as their concern was for the passengers of the train.

John and the Comanche looked down to see the older Reid brother tugging his feet out of the stirrups of the saddle and positioning himself to stand on the horse's back. The Native watched admiringly before briefly looking at the taller man he was still bound to, "Great warrior!"

"Yeah," John groaned slightly, "That's my brother."

It was then the Native's eyes flickered to the rider next just behind him, "Who that?"

John's eyes turned to see the soft features of the Native that he had grown up with and sighed. "Unfortunately, that's my adopted sister, Johanna." He did not hide his displeasure with seeing her nor his surprise to see her taking the reins of Dan's horse and moving it away from the train as the ranger leapt from the saddle and grabbing a hold of the ledge. John reached down to help him up sighing as Dan quickly appraised him before grunting slightly whether in amusement or not, John could not discern.

"Nice suit." The man turned his eyes back to the side of the train to see Sugila urging her horse forward in rushed Lakotuyapi before frowning slightly, though it was John who spoke.

"What is she doing!?"

"Probably trying to stop the train," Dan called back before looking to the Comanche in slight confusion.

At mention of stopping the train, the younger Reid brother's eyes widened. "We have to stop the train!"

"We don't got the time to stop the train and insure the safety of the passengers…" Dan concluded quickly with a frown before pushing passed his brother, "We'll unlatch the cars, c'mon!"

Sugila urged her horse faster before coming to the small opening that allowed the engineers to stand and control the train before briefly taking in the situation. Both engineers were dead and the lever that controlled the train was pushed completely forward and locked down with chains and a padlock. With a curse the Native knew there was little she could do and pulled her horse back a bit so she was even with the last car and the passenger car. "Dan!" When the ranger looked to her she frowned deeply, "The latch is completely locked down; this train is gonna come right off the tracks!"

"What!?"

She turned her attention to John before frowning in confusion as he stood on the platform opposite of his brother holding the chain that was attached to his cuffs taut to his chest. The locking mechanism that held the cars together suddenly came up and Dan grabbed it before looking on in confusion at his brother, "What're you doing!?"

"John?"

Sugila and Dan both watched as the train continued forward, her eyes immediately finding the reason to the lawyer's stance and chain as they locked with the darkness of the other Native's eyes. She broke the contact before looking to the blue eyed ranger and frowning, "They'll be fine, Dan, there's nothin' we can do now!" When the ranger did not move the woman growled slowly, urging her stallion into moving closer to the train and calling out to the man once more, "Dan, get on the horse!" Without much thought the ranger glanced at the animal before jumping from the train and had it not been for the Native woman holding her arm out on the other side of the saddle he would have fallen. With sighed words of thanks, Dan looked to where the train was quickly approaching the end of the tracks. Sugila slowed her stallion to nearly a full stop as the two rangers watched as the workers screamed or yelled at each other to get out of the way. Patting her horse's neck she urged him forward once more with a wordless command only to bring the animal to a stop as the train flipped as it dug into the earth.

"JOHN!"

In an effort to keep the younger ranger in the saddle, Sugila grabbed his arm before lightly kicking her steed's sides. "Forward, c'mon Wakapa-si!" The stallion pushed into a fast gait and quickly neared Dan's horse, the ranger leaping from the back of her horse before urging the animal forward and quickly matching Sugila's desperate pace.

The train, having crashed rather violently into the Texas earth, was completely demolished, though the light coughs of the Native told John that he was still alive and had, in fact, not yet died. He grasped as his chest, feeling his thumping heart through his jacket and vest and heaving a deep sigh of relief. He could not recall a time when he had ever been more thankful that he was alive and he almost laughed, had the Comanche not stood and begun to walk away from the wreckage. "Hey hold it right there!" The Native turned and leveled him with a flat glare, his annoyance oozing off of him louder than any words he could possibly have yelled at that point and the Native could not form any coherent curses that could describe his anger at that moment. "I'm afraid I have to take you in."

_Stupid White Man!_ His mind screamed as he glared at him, before turning sharply on his heel and walking away. He almost growled when he heard the taller man scramble after him, clearly undeterred by the Native's hostility towards him.

"Did you hear – Did you hear me!? You speak English don't you!?" As soon as the Comanche felt the man's hand attempt to land on his shoulder he grabbed the offending appendage before lowering his weight, tugging the taller man over his shoulder with ease. The lawyer landed on the cracked earth with a hard _thud_ and a groan escaped his lips as the breath left his lungs in a violent motion. As the Native stepped over him, all of John's ailments were forgotten and he moved quickly and latching onto the man's leg. The Comanche dragged him along, with small grunts of effort. "By the authority," He grunted as the Native stepped forward, "granted in me by the state of Texas," He gasped as he was again dragged forward with surprising strength, "I'm hereby arresting you!" He looked up suddenly when the Native stopped and could soon see why.

The rangers had watched the spectacle with expressions ranging from annoyed to amused as the younger Reid brother attempted to arrest the Native. Sugila watched with a brow arched incredulously beneath the rim of her hat as the younger man was dragged by the Native and she had to hide a smirk of amusement as Dan grunted in brief annoyance from next to her. "You alright there, lil' brother?"

"Fine," He answered hastily as he stood, briefly brushing himself off. "Just taking this man into custody!" As he made to grab the Comanche's arm the Native shot him another deadly glare that immediately caused the lawyer to release his hold before he formed it, the Native almost daring him to try again. Sugila watched with amusement from atop of her horse as Dan was leaned far forward on his mare, his expression completely stoic save for the slight flickering of annoyance in his eyes as he was clearly unimpressed with the scene before him, though she knew it was out of relief that his younger brother was, in fact, alive and well.

Dan only grunted in disbelief, "Uh-huh…"

"He was on that train for a reason, Dan!"

"Probably," The older brother shrugged slightly and brushing off his brother's annoyance with ease before turning his eyes to the male Native, "What's your crime, boy?"

The Comanche leveled him with a deadpanned expression, "Indian."

The look on Dan's face did not miss the eyes of Sugila, who was completely aware of his pact with the Comanche, as it changed from annoyance with his brother to a concern. It was clear that the answer in and of itself had worried the ranger and she knew that it was from fear that the Comanche tribe would consider this an act against them and break off their agreement, however, it was unclear just how far that line could be pushed. She leaned back in her saddle before addressing the ranger in Lakotuyapi, having taught him a bit of her own language on the road in exchange for him teaching her how to use a lasso. "_Ayusta le wanji iyaya, _Dan_. Hemaca tawatelyapi icu awayake un le toha unkis hi _Colby_._" [Let this one go, Dan. I'm willing to take care of it when we arrive in Colby.] She turned her eyes to meet his as she spoke, "_Niye tawaci un kihi yuha niye wico iye._" [You will be able to keep your word.]

"What's she saying?" Sugila ignored John's question as she kept her eyes on Dan, the ranger locking eyes with her for a moment before offering her a simple nod of confirmation and a brief look of thanks before his attention was drawn back to his brother. The lawyer shook his head before returning his mind to the present situation, "As a man in the eyes of the law, throw me your cuffs."

The ranger, annoyance clearly written on his face once more, sat straight in his saddle before throwing his jacket back so he could reach the cuffs attached at his belt. "Whatever you say little brother," He commented as he tossed them to the taller man, his eyes expressing his discontent at his brother as the man fumbled with the irons. "Sugila," He called to the woman who spurred her horse forward and circled behind John and the Native and drawing the Comanche's eyes to her frame, "I trust you to get John to the sheriffs safely?"

"Now, why would you ever think differently?"

John glared at the older woman as he finished fastening the cuffs to the Native's wrists to see that he was paying little attention to the irons, instead his attention focused completely on the woman. "I don't see how you can be so reassuring, Johanna." When the woman's eyes turned to the younger man she leaned forward in her saddle and smirked at him slightly, "The last time you said that I wound up getting stung by a swarm of bees."

"That was pretty entertaining wasn't it?" She questioned more to herself than the man before turning her eyes to Dan, "I'll make sure to get him into town."

"I'll take the –"

John immediately cut in, "I go with him or not at all."

Sugila and Dan looked at one another before sighing.

* * *

So I may or may not be an evil authoress :) Sorry guys, I absolutely adored Dan Reid and was so sad when he died...*sighs*. Any how, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I marked it with a star at somewhere in the middle but _Injun _is the actual word they use for _Indian_. It's a more racial slur, but it's appropriate for the time period as well as the region so I went with it...it's backed historically :) And the word _Lakotuyapi_ is the word for the Lakota language, if you were wondering. I didn't deem it necessary to translate it right in the story like her longer lines. If you guys got any questions regarding translations feel free to ask me about them...just a small disclaimer to that, it's not 100% accurate translation since I'm using a dictionary so the only literal translation is the first like that Sugila says ("_Heyuha manipe...__Eca Lakota hokšila wašošeyape…heyuha_ _manipe_"). Any how, I hope I got most of the dialogue of the movie right...I kinda had to skip over some of the funnier parts of the train scene because I couldn't remember everything that was said - most of this comes right from my memory (which is surprisingly pretty good with movies...not so much with anything else *sighs*) - so I apologize if any of it was a little...well, totally wrong lol.

So feel free to let me know what you all thought, as always **reviews are lovely and appreciated, but not mandatory for an update**, so feel free to tell me all thoughts and concerns (so long as it's constructive!) ;D So I'm gonna stop rambling now haha, hope you enjoyed the fic and thanks for reading!

'till next time!

Much Love,  
timexgone23

xoxo


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